A/HRC/13/46 all settings where violence against children may occur; she will promote informationsharing and cross-fertilization of experiences, stimulating evidence-based approaches to preventing violence and safeguarding the right of each child to freedom from violence. 10. The mandate of the Special Representative builds upon developments in public health and child protection and envisages the protection of children from violence as a human rights imperative. Indeed, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international human rights instruments provide a firm normative foundation for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children. They are an indicator of genuine national commitment to respecting the human dignity of the child at all times; addressing risk factors that compromise children’s development and citizenship; investing in the social inclusion of the most vulnerable; and promoting actions that build upon children’s best interests, perspectives and experiences. International human rights standards also provide a sound framework for mainstreaming the protection of children from violence in the national policy agenda, helping to avoid fragmented, diluted or simply reactive solutions and influencing lasting change through national implementation informed by good practices and lessons learned. 11. The Special Representative will carry out her mandate by making use of mutually supportive strategies, including the promotion of advocacy for concerns related to violence against children; the contribution to strategic meetings at the international, regional and national levels, including for the identification of good practices and the promotion of cross-fertilization of experiences across regions, sectors and settings; the organization of field missions; and the promotion of thematic studies and reports. IV. Priority focus for the mandate: a strategic agenda, solid partnerships and firm support 12. The protection of children from violence calls for urgent action. Violence is a harsh reality for millions of children around the world; it remains largely invisible and socially accepted, and it has dramatic and lifelong consequences on children’s life and development, carrying with it serious social costs. 13. Guided by this sense of urgency and the need to accelerate progress in key strategic areas, over the period of three years foreseen for her mandate, the Special Representative will place a priority focus on: • Promoting a strategic agenda, building upon the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children • Strengthening key partnerships to achieve progress in the follow-up to the study • Securing firm support, including sound funding to promote progress in violence prevention and in the protection of children from all forms of violence A. Promoting a strategic agenda 14. The 12 overarching recommendations of the study provide a navigation chart for accelerating and monitoring progress in violence prevention and responses, in all settings where children may be at risk. In view of the particular urgency, the study identified timebound targets for three strategic overarching recommendations. These areas remain critical and require renewed and firm attention at all levels. For this reason, in the broad framework of the study’s recommendations, the Special Representative will give priority attention to initiatives aimed at: 6 GE.10-10640